Where: COBO Center, Detroit Michigan USA

When: anuary 14th 2006. The public show ran January 14-22, 2006

What: Ford Super Chief Concept Truck, 2006 North American International Auto Show.

The North American International Auto Show is the largest automotive show in the USA and is now in its 18th year as an international show. This show is the biggest, the brightest, the most over the top of any of the other Auto Shows held in the USA. This year the official attendance was 759,310. This is Detroit's biggest event of the year (except for the Super Bowl, which Detroit will be hosting this year). The auto show has ranked in the top three economic impact events in the U.S. since the first show in 1907, and this year it’s expected to pump $500 million into the local economy, near a million in attendance, display 700 vehicles, and lure 6,800 journalists from the U.S. and dozens of other countries.

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At the 2006 Show lots of new concepts debuted and the return of some historical nameplates -- Chrysler Imperial, Dodge Challenger, Chevy Camaro, Lamborghini Miura, and Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 -- took center stage.

Shown in the accompanying fullscreen panorama is the Ford Super Chief Concept Truck. AutoWeek writes: “Don't even bother asking when Ford will put this big fella into its showrooms-it's strictly a concept intended to show off Ford's flexible-fuel capabilities. The locomotive-inspired Super Chief touts the world's first tri-fuel engine, a 6.8-liter supercharged V10 burning gasoline, hydrogen or E85 ethanol. Inside the heavy-duty chassis is an F-150-derived four-seat cabin that can only be described as the lap of locomotive luxury, with leather-appointed chairs and rear-seat footrests, and even a rear-seat center-console minibar.”

Why: “When else are you going to get a chance to see that much sheet metal under one roof?” asks photographer Mark Houston. “It's a car lovers dream.”

How: Houston used a Nikon D70 + 10.5mm lens on a custom panhead. Stitched with PTGui.

Visit 360Michigan for more fullscreen panos from the 2006 Auto Show, including Dodge, Mini, Volkswagen, Porsche and Lamborghini.
Email Mark Houston: mark[at]360michigan[dot]net